Grilled Striped Bass with Sweet-and-Savory Caramel

BY Andrew Zimmern | POSTED AUGUST 27, 2012 AT 9:00AM EDT

© Stephanie Meyer

I love Vietnamese food. I have eaten it my whole life, but I got really passionate about it a couple decades ago, when I had the opportunity to cook with Nicole Routhier. She is a French-Vietnamese woman who wrote some great cookbooks many years back, including a superb primer on Vietnamese food called The Foods of Vietnam. When I met her, in 1989, she was consulting on some recipes for an über-hip restaurant that was way ahead of its time called Indochine. That restaurant was an early New York City Brian McNally stroke of brilliance. It was several years old when Nicole came by for a day, and I, my consulting partner Stephen Kalt and chef Geoffrey Zakarian came in to learn from her, so we could translate that experience for the restaurant's staff.
One day, Nicole and I were alone in the kitchen in the early afternoon, and she made me a fish-sauce caramel called thit kho. She served it with roast pork. I flipped. I have used that recipe ever since. I keep it on hand for drizzling on grilled food or tossing into a wok as a finishing sauce. You can even braise with it by adding it to a broth.
One night several years back, I grilled a whole striped bass, drizzled it with the caramel and served it with sticky rice and a really spicy green papaya salad. The caramel brings out all the salinity in this fish, which is one of my favorites for summertime eating. If you are cooking for a crowd, I would grill or roast a whole fish. It’s easy and quite a jaw-dropper when it comes to the table. For smaller groups, you can go with this recipe. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Go to Recipe: Grilled Striped Bass with Sweet-and-Savory Caramel
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Bento Box Lunches For Kids : Slow Food USA

Bento Box Lunches For Kids : Slow Food USA

Written by and originally featured on The Huffington Post’s Kitchen Daily
We all know school cafeteria school lunch isn’t something to look forward to, and mom’s packed lunches aren’t always the cat’s meow, either. But imagine a lunch so great that it would be the envy of the entire cafeteria. The Japanese bento box, compartmental by nature, is the perfect box to pack lunch in. Not only that, but there’s a tradition in Japan of decorating the food in a bento box to look pleasing to the eye (called “kawaii”)—which, of course, is perfect for kids.
These bento box lunches from our blogger friends are designed for kids. Okay, so they may require some extra time to assemble, but at least you know your kids are eating a healthy lunch made with love and care (let’s hope they’re not trading them for bags of chips). Kids deserve a better, more fun school lunch and these bento boxes guarantee just that.
What do you think of bento box lunches packed for kids? Let us know in the comments.
Back-To-School Bento Box Lunch

Get the Back-to-School Bento Box Lunch from Bento-logy
Kids will love going back to school with this bento box, complete with a pencil-shaped sandwich. Use colorful silicone cupcake liners to divide the fruit from the veggies.
Little Olympian Bento Box Lunch

Get the Little Olympian Bento Box Lunch from Bento Monsters
This summer’s Olympics are inspiring for adults and kids alike. These bento boxes have little mascots that are so much cuter than London’s. The figures are formed from rice and behind them is teriyaki chicken.
Piglet And Pooh Bear Bento Box Lunch

Get the Piglet and Pooh Bear Bento Box Lunch from Mothering Corner
Use creative cookie cutters, in this case of Piglet and Pooh Bear, to create these ham and cheese sandwiches. Pack the boxes with fresh fruit and vegetables cut into small sizes to make them easy—and fun—to eat.
Hello Kitty Bento Box Lunch

Get the Hello Kitty Bento Box Lunch recipe from Happy Little Bento
This box is packed with a pizza-wich made with pepperoni, spinach and cheese between two toasted sandwich thins. A cute Hello Kitty face is made from a slice of cheese.
Circus Animal Bento Box Lunch

Get the Circus Animal Bento Box Lunch from BentoLunch.net
Try something new when making sandwiches—in this case chicken salad is rolled up in a tortilla and cut into little roll-ups. The lunch is finished with a circus theme complete with elephants and colorful fruit.
Phineas And Ferb Bento Box Lunch

Get the Phineas and Ferb Bento Box Lunch from Hawaii’s Bento Box Cookbook
Take your kids’ favorite cartoon character and turn him into a sandwich. In this case it’s an easy peanut butter and jelly sandwich packed with sliced cucumber and strawberries.
Old MacDonald Bento Box Lunch

Get the Old MacDonald Bento Box Lunch from Bent On Better Lunches
This box is made with a different kind of MacDonald in mind. Teach kids the song (as well as their farm animals) through this adorable bento box lunch.
Alphabet Sandwich Bento Box Lunch

Get the Alphabet Sandwich Bento Box Lunch from BentoLunch.net
This lunch box features a grilled cheese sandwich topped with cheese letters. It’s great for teaching kids how to spell their name.
Star Wars Sandwich Bento Box Lunch

Get the Star Wars Sandwich bento Box Lunch from Wendolonia
If your kid is a Star Wars fan, they’ll appreciate these sandwiches made with the help of special cookie cutters. Pack the bento box with lots of fresh fruit and some gold fish crackers for snacking.
Twinkle Twinkle Spaghetti Bento Box Lunch

Get the Twinkle Twinkle Bento Box Lunch from Adventures in Bento Making
Leftover spaghetti makes a great lunch the next day. This box of spaghetti is decorated with cut-out cheese stars. Alongside you’ll find little smokies sausages and edamame.

Gruyère Grilled Cheese with Apple Salad

This technique gets your bread golden and your cheese extra melty, making a simple sandwich something special (the Gruyère and shallots don't hurt either). It's rich enough that one sandwich and a double portion of salad make a satisfying lunch for two. Trust us.

Makes 2

Recipe by Lucques in Los Angeles, CA

Photograph by Matt Duckor

September 2012

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 cup 1/4-inch-thick sliced shallots
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 1/2-inch-thick slices country-style white bread
• 8 ounces Gruyère, sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 apple (such as Pink Lady or Fuji), cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over high heat. When butter begins to foam, add shallots and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula, until shallots begin to soften and caramelize, 4–5 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
• Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, add 1 Tbsp. butter and swirl in pan to melt butter and coat bottom of pan. Add 2 slices of bread to pan and cook until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, 2–3 minutes. Transfer bread, toasted side down, to a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining butter and bread slices. Divide cheese evenly among bread slices; top cheese with reserved shallots.
• Place baking sheet in oven and bake until cheese is melted, 7–8 minutes.
• Combine arugula, apple slices, lemon juice, and oil in a large bowl; toss to coat and evenly distribute. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.
• Press 2 pieces of bread together, melted cheese sides in; halve sandwich on a diagonal and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining bread slices. Divide salad between plates.

Hungry for More? If you have a question about this recipe, contact our Test Kitchen at askba@bonappetit.com. To see more recipes like this one, check out our Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

• nutritional information

  One serving contains:
  Calories (kcal) 1060
  Fat (g) 75
  Saturated Fat (g) 37
  Cholesterol (mg) 185
  Carbohydrates (g) 56
  Dietary Fiber (g) 4
  Total Sugars (g) 10
  Protein (g) 42
  Sodium (mg) 1110

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/09/gruyere-grilled-cheese-with-apple-salad#ixzz24nymVi22

Salted Caramel Milkshakes on the Food Network

Interesting Yummy Recipe!

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Show: Guy's Big Bite Episode: Backyard Bites: Chorizo Polenta Casserole  

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup vanilla bean ice cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk

 

 

Directions

Add 1/3 cup water to a medium saucepan and set over high heat. Carefully pour the sugar directly into the center so none of it splashes up the sides of the pot. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar starts to turn brown. Do not stir the pot. If you need to, gently swirl the pot to help melt all the sugar. Once the sugar turns a deep brown color, remove from the heat and carefully pour in the cream, taking care as it will splutter a little. Add the butter, salt and vanilla. Swirl the pot until the butter dissolves completely and evenly into the caramel sauce.

Drizzle a little of the caramel sauce into 2 tall milkshake glasses. Add the ice cream, milk and the remaining caramel sauce to a blender. Blend until smooth and pour into the glasses.

Cook's Note: For an adult version of this drink add 1 1/2 ounces rum to each milkshake!

Salted Caramel Milkshakes on the Food Network